Leadership in Scouting is not about “being the boss”. It is about developing a mutual respect
between the leader and those who he will be leading. Simply put, it is fulfilling the scout law at
its highest level. Following these
ideals will put you on the right path of leadership.
A Leader is trustworthy – The leader must always work to
gain and maintain the trust of the scouts that he serves. They must believe that he is leading them in
the right direction.
A Leader is Loyal – The leader knows he has a greater
responsibility to “be there” both physically and emotionally for the scouts he
serves.
A Leader is Helpful – The leader must continue to learn,
both skills and plans to be able to help all the members of his patrol/troop.
A Leader is Friendly – The leader is not only a scout who will celebrate and have fun with his scouts when times are good, but will be there and help any of his scouts when they are having difficulty.
A Leader is Courteous - The leader does not “boss” scouts
around. He tells them what is a
happening, what is required of each scout and why.
A Leader is Kind – The leader always praises other scouts
when appropriate in public, so others can share in their success. He will never “put down” a scout, and will
privately discuss problems with a scout.
If there is still difficulty, he will ask for help from another
responsible authority.
A Leader is Obedient – A leader also knows that there is
someone else that he must answer to as well.
Whether that is the ASPL, SPL, ASM or SM, he will do his best to show
respect and work with them. If there is
a disagreement, they will do their best to discuss and come to an agreement.
A Leader is Cheerful -
A leader knows that his attitude will directly affect his group. Knowing this, a leader always does his best
to smile and find the positive side of any task at hand.
A Leader is Thrifty – A scout leader knows that most
activities of the troop cost money, and while planning as a part of the PLC,
they need to try and plan activities that scouts may participate without having
to spend a lot of money.
A Leader is Brave – An old leader once said, “You can’t lead
from behind”. The scout leader is
willing to go out front and “take the lead”, try new things and experience
scouting at its best. The leader must
also be brave enough to say no, and stand up for his scouts when any one of
them may be subject to bullying.
A Leader is Clean – The leader is the representative of his
troop/patrol. How he looks to others
will have a direct impact on people’s opinion of the troop/patrol. A clean, well pre-prepared leader will show
to others that this group is “ready to go”!!
A Leader is Reverent -
The leader shows respect for and supports all scouts regardless of who
they are or their beliefs. He respects
that one of the basic ideas in all religions is to do unto others as you would
have them do to you and he does his best to live to that ideal.
It’s a tough list. No
one said that it should be easy, but if you can live and work with these
principles, you will have a very rewarding experience as a leader, and those
who follow you will be very glad they did.
